Geometric protection symbols woven in a fresh palette of modern colors decorate the vibrant field of this vintage Moroccan rug woven in the mid-20th century.

Purple Colored Vintage Moroccan Rug, Country of Origin: Morocco, Circa Date: Mid 20th Century – This vintage rug from Morocco features ancient protection symbols based on long-standing superstitions and rendered in a vibrant mid-century color palette. In the traditional Moroccan style, this vintage rug makes masterful use of simple geometric elements to create a series of delightful abstract patterns imbued with secondary symbols. Ladder-like comb or finger motifs ascend up the field creating a vertical counter-change pattern between the neighboring elements. Cruciform hac motifs featured in the negative space between each deeply notched hourglass are one of many important symbols used to neutralize the effects of the evil eye by dividing the glances into four easily-managed pieces. Flat-woven ends and the contrasting combination of fuchsia, orange, chartreuse and kohl black give this carpet a modern and distinctly Moroccan appearance.

Moroccan Rug – Here at Nazmiyal Collection, the rugs that fill our showroom come from all over the world. We have an extensive collection of antique Oriental Rugs, antique Persian rugs, and vintage rugs from the far corners of the globe. And while we take pride in our entire collection, we are especially proud of our collection of vintage Moroccan rugs.

Rugs from Morocco – especially from the mid-twentieth century – are among the most beautiful rugs ever made. Today’s Wednesday Wishlist piece is an especially charming Moroccan rug, the story behind which is fascinating and exciting.

The rugs of Morocco are among the most beautiful and the most desirable of all Oriental rugs. Boasting one of the oldest and most storied of all rug making traditions, Morocco has been responsible for creating some of the most remarkable and expertly crafted rugs anywhere in the world.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the story of Moroccan rugs is the charming, serendipitous phenomenon that is responsible for their incredible popularity in modern interior design: for even though rugs have been made by the tribal peoples of Morocco for thousands of years (since the very first appearance of simple tools), they are more popular in the Western world today than they have ever been. Naturally, one might be inclined to ask how this development came about – a question with a fascinating answer.

The Beni Ourain – a group of 17 nomadic Berber tribes living in the High Atlas Region of Morocco – were among the first and most prolific rug-making groups in Morocco. Shepherds and goatherds, the Beni Ourain had at their disposal a plentiful source of high grade wool, as well as an aesthetic tradition that stressed abstract representation and complex symbolism.

Further, the Beni Ourain lived in the Atlas Mountains – a cold and windy place which necessitated thick, warm weavings. The synthesis of these factors was a rug-making tradition that gave the world countless luxuriant, abstract pieces that, centuries later, would complement twentieth century design in the Western world.

Today’s Wednesday Wishlist piece is a fantastic and vibrant mid-century Moroccan rug that embodies many of the characteristics most sought after by collectors of such pieces. A rich and modern color palette define this piece, as do the ancient protection symbols scattered throughout.

This rug boasts a fantastic geometric pattern that plays off itself to create a piece that is beautifully abstract – qualities very desirable to mid-century designers as well as contemporary collectors.

Especially appealing in this rug is the presence are the cruciform hac motifs which are cleverly placed in the negative space in between its hourglass shapes – these symbols are deeply culturally significant Morocco, where they have long been believed to offer protection from the power of the evil eye. Modern and traditional at the same time, this rug speaks to those qualities that make Moroccan rugs so exciting and so desirable.